Press and daily Dakotaian. (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1880-1889, 1887-09-16

The Redtield journal participates 10
the newspaper discussion OF a subject OF
generalinterest and joins the others iD
wondering why it costs more for students
to attend the alleged free colleges sup
ported by Dakota tax payers than it
costs to attend the private colleges -of
the territory. In it's comments upon
this subject the Journal states:
The Vermillion university. where the
grounds. buildings, furniture, fuel,
lights. management, teachers, apparatus,
etc, are oil paid for by the territory, aG.
yertises that itis possible for students
to pull through on $l75 q year. while
the Yankton college, without q dollar OF
public aid puts the total expenae Of a
years schooling at $156. The Brook.
inRs college, which draws from the pub.
lilo treasury thirty oor forty Thousand
dollars year, puts the annual expense
for Q student at $3.50, while at;the Mitch
ell and Pierre universities the cost is
said to be $12S.
This is 9 subject to consider. There
is no economy in public educational in
stitutions.l either in Dskota or in the
states. The record every where is record.
OF extravaganza. In the grand pull for
appropriations at each legislative session
public educational institutions always
climb to the high figures with surprising
! ceierity and the appropriations for their
benefit tsnsually cover some species Of
extension not needed or some depart
r,s ont ~ or mo t;,r u,b;ob ,,arn.-
anybody. When it comes down to the
real business OF bsstowing knowl.
edge the searcher after educational
light finds that he can better affofd to
place himself in some institution which
does not Ssnbsist upon public charity,
bat digs lite owa rugged way to suooers
And an education moro substantial and
worth more in dollefs and cents lie 40
quired at the private institution. The
reason is apparent. The private insti.
tuition is isconduoted by management
schooIed to educational work from the
A. B. D.of life's beginning to the highest
degree to which wisdom can attain. The
public institution is conducted by q
management of politicians Who are as
unfit for their places as Greek profes.
sor is for the mysterious manlpuiatione
ofs precinct oauous. Keeping school is
a trade. Occupying the position OF re-.
gent Of o public college is a political ae-
oident. For one place the candidate is
prepared. For the other he is not. 80
it is not strange that the student finds
himself able to procure better eiuca-
tion for less money int private college
than in public free" college. Pursu-
ing this subject, the Redfield Journal
lpertinently remarks:
The people OF Dakota are paying eaet,
year thousands of dollars for what ?
Education comes no cheaper at these
! "free" colleges and their work ia no bet.
ter than OF the private ones. Then, in
the name OF common sense, what are the
people supporting these state institu,
| tions for? Why are we .expending $le0
600 year, more or. less, to maintain in.
stitutions that do no better work thar
the private ores and that cost the stu
dents more2 The journal has tor soms
time entertained doubts as to the ex-
pediency Of supporting state colleges
and now that our attention
has been called to the relative cost tc
the students of attending the public an,
private institutions we are more thar
lever inclined to favor the withdrawal O
public and to higher schools. II W,
want to spend money IN the interests o
leduoatioD, why not endeayor to max,
onr common school moro effective
i Why not divert the means we donate on
OF the public treasury for the support o
colleges into the channel OF common
school education? There every one, ricI
and poor, could avail themselves OF the
benefits 10 be derived, whereas only thos
OF means can attend the universities "a,
colleges.